Koigi wa Wamwere

Kenyan politician

Koigi wa Wamwere (born 18 December 1949 in Rugongo, Nakuru District) is a Kenyan politician, human rights activist, journalist and writer. Koigi became famous for opposing both the Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi regimes, both of whom sent him to detention.

Koigi's father, Wamwere, hailed from Kiambu District. However, in 1915, the British colonial government declared that all land in Kenya belong to the settlers. As a result, several Kikuyu people had their land taken away. Koigi's father (then aged 4) and his family were among the evicted and had to move to Rift Valley Province, an area traditionally inhabited by Maasai people. Koigi's mother Wangu, escaped a forced marriage and ended up in Rift Valley, only to be forcefully married with his father. They had nine children, Koigi being the oldest. Koigi's father worked for the colonial forest department. Koigi was born in 1949 in Rugongo location, Bahati division, Nakuru District, Rift Valley Province. He went to Rugongo Primary School Koigi Wamwere went to Mother of Apostles seminary and later Nyeri High School. Wamwere excelled in school and received a scholarship to Cornell University in the United States in the early 70s,

Without finishing studies in Hotel Management at Cornell University, Wamwere went back to Kenya. He began lecturing at the Jogoo Commercial College and also was a freelance journalist for the now defunct newspaper Sunday Post. In December 1978, after Kenyatta had died, the new president Daniel arap Moi released Wamwere together with Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Martin Shikuku. He was elected to the parliament in 1979 by winning the Nakuru North Constituency, this time defeating the incumbent MP Kihika Kimani. Wamwere was one of the several opposition figures detained by president Moi after the 1982 Kenyan coup attempt, though he maintains that he was not involved in the coup. Consequently, he lost his parliamentary seat, which was won Francis Kimosop at the 1982 by election. Kimosop committed suicide in 1986 and Wamwere, who had been released from prison in 1984, contested the newly vacated seat in the 1986 by election. The election was controversially won by Eric Bomett, brother in law of president Moi. Soon afterward Wamwere fled to Norway, fearing for his life. In 1990 he visited Uganda, but he was kidnapped by Kenyan security officials in Kampala. He was charged with treason, and failed to win a parliamentary seat. He went to exile once again in 1998. He is the author of A Woman Reborn, Justice on Trial, and I Refuse to Die, amongst other books. Koigi ran for the senatorial seat of Nakuru in 2017 and only got 1 vote.